I consider the Tribune’s criticism of Rep. Michael Flanagan (“Piercing Flanagan’s porous armor,” Editorial, June 20) a shot from the hip. Rep. Flanagan originally voted for Rep. Charles Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) amendment, which would review all firearms ammunition to determine if said ammunition would penetrate the soft body armor worn by police officers. After realizing that this review would include rifle ammunition used for hunting, and considering that many of his constituents enjoy hunting, he changed his vote to no.
As a firearms safety instructor and competition shooter, I see the term “cop-killer bullets” misused by the print and TV media. To the best of my knowledge, there is no commercially available handgun ammunition that will penetrate modern soft body armor. New ammunition falls under the scrutiny of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which would prohibit its manufacture if deemed “armor-piercing.”
No honest person, whether they own a firearm or not, wishes to see an officer of the law injured or killed. The Schumer amendment, which will do little to protect police officers, will affect tens of millions of Americans who hunt. I applaud Rep. Flanagan for his change of vote.
